The Fundación Anselmo Lorenzo (FAL) archive and bookshop, a major anarchist institution in Madrid, was attacked with a pickaxe and paint overnight during the weekend.

FAL is a foundation established by CNT to preserve the rich history of the libertarian movement in Spain and to promote anarchist ideas and culture. It has a bookshop, a lecture hall and meeting rooms and a library in downtown Madrid. If you’ve ever been to the city you may have visited, as it’s a well-known reference point in libertarian circles nationwide. Writing on their site, an archive team member said:

On Monday, we found that somebody’s destructive spirit had been very active over the weekend.

They went to great lengths to break the lock and destroy the facade glass with paint and pickaxes, which shows that they had prepared. I wish they were equally prepared to fight for important things like social justice or solidarity .

An attack on libertarian culture in this way is typical of the fascists, but seem to proliferate. What is the point of attacking a place dominated by shelves with books and broadcast spaces if not?

An attack on culture, the world of books and libertarian thought. It is clear that the attackers cannot be ‘users’ of the foundation … they would have read, listened and discussed, and they would not allow themselves to be manipulated into this senseless violence.

Of course, we condemn the action and its consequences, fortunately only material. And we are back on track, fixing everything … you know, our work is always constructive.

~ Anselmo Lorenzo Foundation

Alongside the institution’s extensive printed archives of CNT publications FAL frequently runs exhibitions on historic figures and and events (most recently with a book talk and exhibition on the Red Angel Eduardo Guzman). Named after Anselmo Lorenzo, often nicknamed the grandfather of Spanish anarchism, it also produces history magazine Bicel.