2024 has been a difficult year. Not only has Israel’s genocide against the people of Gaza and settlement of Palestine endured and intensified — with the crucial assistance of the US, UK, and EU — but the notorious neo-fascist Donald Trump has been re-elected president of the US. Moreover, Russia has taken evermore territory in its ghastly war on Ukraine, whose government may soon be forced by Trump into suing for peace, on terms favorable to the aggressors. 

Ultimately — as with all international conflict — it is the people who suffer as small men play games with people’s lives in the name of expansionism, xenophobia, and nationalism.

In light of these developments, in March 2024, The Commoner published some reflections on Aaron Bushnell’s self-immolation in solidarity with Palestinians, as well as an interview with Anarchists in the ‘48 Area, a radical Israeli group. Our journal also released a critical analysis of the July 2024 assassination attempt on Trump in Pennsylvania as being a possible catalyst for fascist reaction.

In our 2023 New Year statements, we chose to stop using fireworks displays as our banner. Fireworks are a celebration of a new year, new hopes, and new promises to ourselves and to our communities. Many people will light them in January, but how many will make the connection that while explosions in the sky may bring them joy, they bring terror for those in Gaza?

The Christmas and New Year period will be a time of joy but also a time of reflection, regardless of faith or background. As we sit and reflect on our 2024 and hopes for 2025, we keep in our hearts and minds those who do not have the opportunity to share in safety and plenty. 

We also remind ourselves why it is that we established The Commoner: to promote a world of autonomy, peace, and security for all people, and to springboard voices that want to achieve those goals. We owe it to our readers and supporters to carry that mission into 2025 and beyond.

Our 2024

A major focus of The Commoner this year has been Asian anarchism. We published “The Basis & Preliminary Examination for a Theory of Asian Anarchism” in April, “The Equality Society: A Preliminary Archival Reconstruction of The Chinese American Anarchist Movement” in August, and “A Critique of Filial Piety and the Traditional East Asian Family Model” in November — all by the same author, Liao. Then, in December, we posted an interview with the specifically anarchist Indonesian group Perhimpunan Merdeka (“freedom association”).

This year, The Commoner also published some lyrical, speculative, scientific, and historical articles, including an exploration of the “sarcophagal machine,” meditations on cosmic anarchy, and a reimagining of what may have been the first strike in ancient Egypt. We circulated a review of Dune Part Two (2024) that criticises its ostensible Islamophobia, together with a two-part interview with the author of Invertidos y Rompepatrias (“Queers Wreck the State,” 2019) about LGBTQ+ history in Spain.

We will continue to extend the boundaries of anarchist and libertarian-socialist thought by promoting and platforming writers from all over the globe. In 2025, we will publish and print our first and long-awaited Anarchist Voices of the World. This will, we hope, be the first in a series of books documenting the movements and initiatives of anarchists wherever they may be found.

We couldn’t do this without you all. As always, we thank the readers, Patreon supporters, and social media sharers who have been instrumental in allowing The Commoner to achieve all of these goals and collect such diverse and interesting perspectives on this platform. Anyone who is interested in collaborating with or writing for us is welcome to get in touch.

If you have the capacity, we also welcome your financial support. Please note that all patrons will receive a copy of Anarchist Voices of the World for free when it releases.

Once again, thank you and here’s to a 2025 driven by liberation and the destruction of power, exploitation, and domination wherever they emerge.

In solidarity,

Your friends at The Commoner