In many European countries, the far right holds or shares power. Democracy is in crisis. Millions do not vote, while the minority who do vote are increasingly shifting their support from business-as-usual politicians to the populist far right.
The anti-democratic trend is partly due to the increasing prejudice of inflamed corporate-owned media, both social and legacy. Without alternatives, the rejection of the political class is also a form of retribution for some — even if it empowers another cabal of the corporate establishment.
Last fall, a summit held in Sheffield, northern England, called Fearless Cities South Yorkshire,
created space to imagine something different in a country that is also sleepwalking toward right-wing populism.
Fearless Cities South Yorkshire brought together around 400 people in early November to showcase examples of how people are collectively managing large parts of their cities through weekly assemblies, as they do now in Naples Urban Commons.
Fearless Cities provided an opportunity to take a look at cities steered by a combination of social movements that are chasing old, corrupt politicians out of office, which happened, for example, in Zagreb, Croatia.
Putting big ideas like degrowth into action, Fearless Cities summits have taken place from New York to Valparaíso to Warsaw. The summits were initiated by Barelona en Comu (In Common), a movement among social movements that coalesced to kick out business-as-usual politicians, and transformed Barcelona for two terms (2015-2023).
Fearless Cities South Yorkshire, November 2024
With workshops, skillshares, film screenings, panel discussions and more, the summit was divided into four strands, all showcasing municipalism. This growing trend enables intersectional action, so that social movements (and the issues they address) can combine locally to become greater than the sum of their parts. The message is simple: all issues connect.
Fearless Cities 2024 presented four strategies in practice to imagine solutions tackling the crises of our time:
One, Neighbourhoods of Care, showed ways out of the profit-driven economy towards an economy based on care, compassion, mutual aid and community.
Another, Rethinking Governance and Local Democracy, highlighted the absolute crisis in local government and the opportunities for transformation.
A third, the Commons thread, explored the reintroduction of collective and self-organising forms of governance.
And the fourth, Municipalist Futures, highlighted ways we can collectively shape the future democratically and combat structural oppression – both of which are necessary to realize the other. The summit was packed with representatives of social movements from the isles and the European mainland.
Fearless Cities summits connect municipalist movements and like-minded social movements to consider how cities and communities can solve global problems through local action. They’ve become a space to share skills and resources; by showcasinging municipalism in action, Fearless Cities also shatters the illusion that “there is no alternative” (TINA).
They also shatter the latest pro-corporate version of this story that there is no alternative beyond authoritarianism (TINABA).
Nowtopias and breaking no-alternative myths
The Neighbourhoods of Care thread consisted of a series of workshops that employed post-it notes, large pieces of paper, break-out groups and other collective brainstorming, all co-organised by the movements Citizen Network and Care Full.
Besides discussions and making face-to-face connections, one conclusion from the session was the mapping of what a care-based neighbourhood needs. This vision is about creating democratic spaces with neighbourhood assemblies, as Cooperation Hull is promoting in the north-east English city.
Other pioneering real-life examples included community libraries, reusing waste land to grow food or build homes, and cooperatives that provide social care.
Meanwhile, the Commons addressed specific topics in individual sessions that responded to both the crises we face and how we can collectively manage the world. The sessions, organised by Opus Independents, a Sheffield-based organisation that runs the largest annual grassroots festival in the UK, addressed issues such as the housing crisis, rethinking our broken food system, building the solidarity economy and community controlled energy.
Examples of some of the movements sharing their experiences in the venue included Hastings Commons, from the South East of England, which enables the community to use derelict buildings and convert them into social spaces, housing or workspaces; and the Solidarity Economy Association, a workers cooperative seeking to overcome capitalism in England, Scotland and Wales by collaborating and building the solidarity economy from below.
At the same time, the Rethinking Governance and Local Democracy thread looked at the widespread crisis in local government. For instance, in the UK after years of austerity, financial mismanagement and other nefarious financial arrangements, local councils are going bankrupt, as is happening elsewhere. This thread also outlined means to hold authorities to account, such as citizen-led debt audits with examples in Lambeth, London and Naples, Italy. It was organized by Research for Action, a worker cooperative that aims to strengthen movements for social, economic and environmental justice.
In full disclosure, I coordinated the Municipalist Futures section of the event, which included 10 sessions held over the weekend to imagine and shape a future of real democracy. These included contributions from Coop Town, a network of food-buying cooperatives that are building collective power in working class streets.
The Municipalist Futures thread was also about how we can overcome structural oppression in our neighbourhoods, cities and movements. This included a workshop on overcoming patriarchy and its influences, and creating anti-racist cities, as well as a film premiere for Cities Against Authoritarianism.
Responses to an open call for participation from many social movements, plus input from the European Municipalist Network, was vital for bringing together so many groups, their energy and their ideas from across the isles and Europe at the Fearless Cities summit.
What next?
The Summit would not have been possible without all the inspiring projects and social movements, in Sheffield and beyond, which are building real power and tackling the crises we face.
The weekend was an opportunity to imagine how a world with far more similar movements could work together to move beyond crisis. The summit was just one step on a much longer journey, back to a world not dominated by capitalism and the ultra-rich.
At its core, the event made clear how we can do much better than the dysfunctional political system that managed the capitalist system to the place we are now. Likewise, it offered a real alternative to the authoritarianism that is all too ready to accelerate and take over from failing liberal democracies the world over.
