Back in 2008, fresh off the fuckery that was the RNC and DNC protests, I rolled into Montreal with a hot-off-the-edit documentary, Ground Noise and Static. Some comrades I’d only met online were like, “Yo, come screen it at CMAQ.” I didn’t know what the fuck that was—but I showed up.

The place? Mind-blowing. First floor: L’Insoumise, a badass anarchist bookstore still standing today. Upstairs: CMAQ (Indymedia Montreal). The folks running the event were late, classic anarchist time. But when they showed up, they weren’t just slacking—they’d been disrupting the goddamn Spirit Train, a rolling PR nightmare pushing the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. They busted through the door grinning, yelling, “We fucked them up!” And I was like—yup. Found my people.

Only six people came to the screening. Didn’t matter. Those six would become some of my best friends. That random-ass trip planted seeds I wouldn’t even understand until five years later when I packed up and moved here for good. Montreal had already carved itself into my heart, but after seeing Athens—where anarchists literally control neighborhoods—I knew I needed to live somewhere that thrived on resistance. And not for nothing, but Vancouver had gotten so expensive I was sleeping in my damn van.

Fast forward to 2012. I screened some of my subMedia work in a back alley during the tail-end of the student strike. Place was packed. That night I met my partner, and eventually, we raised a kid here—because Montreal makes shit like that possible. Affordable, top-tier daycare. Community orgs with actual teeth. Renters' rights groups. Real-deal gains that came from radical struggle, not half-assed liberal breadcrumbs.

And anchoring so much of this shit? That same goddamn anarchist building.

Montreal is a city where riots have become ritualized. You can count on people to throw down on March 15th and May Day, year after year. But it’s not just the riot porn. What makes this place really special is the deep, day-to-day organizing. The sense of camaraderie. The commitment. These aren't just edgy slogans and cool patches—this is boots-on-the-ground, feed-your-neighbors, fight-the-landlords, hold-the-line shit. And spaces like this building make it all possible.

So here’s the deal—we need your help to keep this building alive.

If you’ve ever been inspired by Montreal’s spirit of resistance—or if you just want to support a place where the struggle is real and ongoing—kick in what you can. Every buck goes toward keeping this anarchist stronghold up and running.

Support the fundraiser here: https://www.diffusionlibertaire.org/

Let’s keep this fire burning.