The French-speaking Anarchist Federation under its today shape was created in 1953, period where different anarchist groups, and above all the Parisian group "Louise Michel", opposing the centralist behaviour of the Communist Libertarian Federation, reacted by leaving the latter and creating a new organisation.

The Anarchist Federation was built as a synthesist organisation, following, in this way, Sébastien Faure's ideas, who was a French anarchist living at the beginning of the century. Considering that the various tendencies existing within the anarchist movement (anarco-syndicalism, libertarian communism, individualism, etc.)do not oppose neither exclude each other, but are, above all, complementary in their thoughts on a strategic basis of the organisation of the exploited people, on the economical and political fields, philosophical and cultural areas, the F.A.F. gathers within it these different tendencies and allows them to live and work together. The groups and individuals, members of the federation, being autonomous within it, the FAF does not interfere in the strategies followed by each one in the syndicalist field but also all other local militant activity. At the federal level, only the congress can take decisions. The latter are taken by unanimity of the participants. A congress is held every year and decides on the general directions of the organisation, propaganda campaigns to lead during the following year gives mandates to several secretaries. The individual responsibility rule is applied.

There are, today, within the federation 60 groups, in France but also some in Belgium. This allows the FAF to cover a quite dense territorial network. It is the larger French specific anarchist organisation. The federation publishes a weekly newspaper, Le Monde Libertaire (10000 copies are printed every week) sold by the militants or by commercial book stores. Fifteen years ago, Radio Libertaire was created within the Parisian geographical area. Both the newspaper and the radio are managed by the congress. We can also mention the publishing house "Les Editions du Monde Libertaire" with new books or booklets printed every year and of course the Parisian bookshop of "Le Monde Libertaire". There are other anarchist bookshops where the members of the federation are very active, such as "La Plume Noire" in Lyon, but also other bookshops in Angers, Besançon, Montpellier, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Perpignan, etc..

Member of the I.F.A., the French-speaking Anarchist Federation wishes to go towards a true international co-ordination of organised anarchists, for the libertarian social project and its practice cannot be thought, any more, at a local level.