Some people from Autonomous Nottingham attended the Lincoln Underground Collective skill share today. About 25 people turned up for an afternoon of discussions and presentations on anarchism, antifascism, alternative education and community organising. Well done to LUC for putting on a great day!

The afternoon started with an introduction to anarchist theory and practice given by a local member of the Anarchist Federation. This included a discussion about workfare, something that LUC are currently campaigning on. Given the broad range of people present, including socialists and other non-anarchists, some discussion was had around the usefulness or otherwise of standing in elections. This was particularly relevant to opposing fascists, such as the English Democrats who are standing a candidate in Lincoln at an upcoming byelection.

That moved us along nicely to the next subject of antifascism. A member of LUC sporting an Antifa shirt gave a good introduction to militant antifascism and why anarchists think fascism must be confronted ideologically to counter recruitment in working class areas but also physically to stop them gaining a presence on the streets. The rise of fascism in European countries such as Greece and Hungary was mentioned and that, although fascist groups are not very strong here, they are still a threat because mainstream parties take on their policies to avoid losing votes.

We had a break for a great homemade vegan food and some good conversations. People played on the community gamelan and checked out the stalls as well as one of the LUC's amazing artwork.

After the break we heard from a member of the Social Science Centre, a not-for-profit cooperative univerisity where all classes are participative and collaborative, a response to the ever more ludicrous university system that students now have to pay £9,000 a year to be trained up for capitalist work in.

This was followed by a talk by us on what Autonomous Nottingham have been up to, what's worked and what hasn't and what we've learnt about community organising. We invited people to share their own experiences of community organising and discussed ways that we could collaborate with Lincoln people in the future.

The final 20 min was set aside for us all to share our reflections on the day. It was great to meet up with people from Lincoln and discuss our politics and ideas for action together and make the vital links we need to sustain our movements and resistance. I look forward to meeting you all again in the future!