In February 2025, the Antimilitarist Initiative (AMI) launched a public fundraiser for deserters and war refugees. One year after the fundraiser was announced, we are reflecting on its impact and the broader context.
To begin with, we want to note that our group consists mainly of people who are not fond of the world of social media, which was perceived from the start as a factor that would contribute to the campaign not being as widely known and fewer donations being collected. Social media has become the dominant means of communication and organization all around us, but as is our custom, we swim against the tide, even though this comes with certain difficulties. We realize that the price for the “efficiency” of social media is too high for us to want to “pay” it. We place far greater emphasis on security, privacy, direct communication, and continuity than on speed, quantity, and convenience. Although we used an inefficient fundraising model by today’s standards, we still managed to raise approximately 83,000 CZK (3,320 euros). People from cities such as Athens, Brno, Rome, Vienna, Thessaloniki, Graz, Prague, Bologna, Bucharest, Bratislava, Cologne, Budapest, Toulouse, etc., contributed to the fundraiser.
If we compare the amount we raised with the sums that fuel the war machine on a daily basis, the whole endeavor might seem like a failure. But our standards are different. The basis of success is not the amount of money in the coffers, but above all the fact that the very process of promoting and coordinating the collection has become part of the self-organization of working-class people across various European regions. Throughout, our aim was for the campaign to be interactive and not to replicate a model in which one group actively organizes while another passively contributes money, and that is the end of it for them. Throughout the fundraising process, we placed strong emphasis on exchanging information with one another and using it both to provide practical aid to those affected by the war and to strengthen the infrastructure of resistance against the war. And although we are still a minority, we feel that we have broken through the isolation and fragmentation that previously held us back. We are not in an era where our activities take the form of a mass movement, but we believe that the networking fostered by the fundraising campaign is a very practical tool for the future of the working class’s class struggle.
Most of the funds have so far been allocated to five areas:
- 1) Covering travel expenses and the transport of relief supplies
- 2) Providing shelter for people who have fled the war zone
- 3) Providing food and basic necessities
- 4) Media outreach and sharing practical information about the situation of deserters and ways to support them
- 5) Purchasing equipment for secure information exchange, communication, and coordination of solidarity activities
Naturally, it cannot openly state exactly where the money has been or will be used. Unlike those who finance war, we are at a disadvantage in that our activities will always be criminalized, punished, and suppressed. All opponents of military service, deserters, saboteurs, and those who assist them are labeled as enemies by the state. In war, people can legally fund machines of mass murder, but helping to save the lives of those who refuse to continue the war or sabotage it is labeled as a punishable act of treason. To protect ourselves and those we assist, we must be cautious and cannot disclose specific details about our activities. We thank all our friends who understand this, trust us, and have no doubt that we will use the donations effectively where they are needed. The fundraiser for deserters and war refugees is still ongoing. We thank everyone who has contributed, as well as those who will do so in the future.
Anti-Militarist Initiative (AMI), February 2026
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