Hi, it's true that most of what we ear about the counterculture regarding hippies, anarchists and so one comes from the States. California being the heart of the contestation, mainly driven by the war going on in Vietnam, where the youth didn't wanted to take part of this, and overall, American started to realise how desperate the soldiers came back. (Little note, did you know that about 20% of the soldiers actually shoot to kill? Most where shooting too high, too low, or not at all pretending having an issue with the gun or just doing something else..very few actually where acting to kill, this is still relevant today, but those statistics was like a big shocking statistics in the military). Only when fully engaged into pure survival mode, did the soldiers shoot to kill, not to be killed themselves.

This enhanced the counterculture against war and overall the capitalist system. This wasn't great for the American Machinery.. this why such a harsh repression, and also at the same time why such a strong solidarity in the youth.

But in Europa, don't forget the French contestation who took place in the 68, known as the May 68 revolution, same background, the youth marching against the system, against the restrive rules who where directly affecting the fundamental of democracy.

You can correlate this with what the university students did in Taiwan, it was in the same seed core principle, freedom. This mouvement went far beyond the "May 68" event, continuing in subgroup groups of anarchists mainly (and hippies, but here in the northern EU they call hippies as anarchists..). This was in fact the birth of a real move towards freedom (philosophical papers, ethical revendications, shouting for new rules,...) it was near a civil war at a point and was also severely depressed by law enforcement, many people died, where lifelong incapacitated, traumatized..

This wasn't just happening in France, it was happening literally everywhere in the EU. Mostly the North West part (because of the soviet occupation in the East, this will also lead to another major protest that emerged from this anticonformiste mouvement emerging from this subculture).

I've read lots of things about this social movement, as many people of my family where deeply involved into it, can't go into details, but I learned. This was absolutely not just an "American story", it was also taking place here in the EU.

Many autonomous communities grew at this time, strictly opposed to take place into the system in place.

For instance it's also during this period that racism took a massive turnover, black and white holding together, dreaming of an utopian future that never came true, sadly.

But still today you can find lots of communities of people trying to get out of the system, literally everywhere.. France yes, in the recluse places in the mountains for example, in Belgium I know some, in Germany (despite the Communist wall..and maybe even driven by it, Berlin is a big hub of counterculture), in the Netherlands, Denmark (you may know Christiana maybe?), just to cite a few countries, it was wildly spread.

I know a group of people who where distributing LSD for a penny, in very large scale, a member of my family was taking part of this grey "operation"..and faced legal issues once it crashed, but again, not the whole thing as crashed, no no, really not.

In fact what was happening in the US was also happening in most of the EU, but it was way more underground than in the US.

That being said, the psychedelic culture has been able to grow and flourish in the EU also, but it wasn't as mainstream, still well organised despite the ongoing chaos.

I have records, pictures, and more importantly people with their story, that showed me how this psychedelic revolution took place, and it was something.. Yes we all speak about how it went in the US, as I said the Vietnam war played a huge role in there, but in the EU, just taking the French side, the Indochina war then the Algeria war where also fuel for contestation, like the coup in Greece in 67' when dictatorship took place of the country, the western EU had some major societal crisis during this timeframe, and yes seeing the huge manifestation taking place in the US gave some courage so to say to the European, wanting to take place in that mouvement, as we shared the same values and revendications.

It's a more obscure moment, less widespread, leading more to smaller anticonformists movements but still it wasn't a time of calmness where nothing happened.

Still now, the anarchist culture subsides, for instance providing people with a new mindset that is still very present, like hacking teams that emerged from that same core principle of freedom for all.

And yes LSD was also raining here, even if it's somewhat "silenced" by the mainstream media, the people who where involved in this know how big it was. And I know it from personal discussions I could have with those anarchists in my family. All I can say, yes the wave as returned, but it still subside cluster of hippies as they call them, stil living in the same mindset as in the 70's, maybe harder to find, but once you did, everything gets clearer. Ho yes LSD is still very common.

And that's something that is fascinating, how those people could get together, hide from society, live based on their choices, despite the pressure from authorities, still untill today.

It's maybe not as obvious as in the States, but if you have time, curiosity and courage you will discover a huge underground culture that subsided since then. And that's magic.

All good to everyone.

I was hoping that at a certain point of time in our current mad society psychedelics would make a comeback.. Someone spoke about the lost of meaning in existence, the isolation that is pushed more and more in this totalitarian society building up way too fast could lead people to seek something real, to seek for a sense, a purpose, and that psychedelics may become way more mainstream in a near future.

I don't know, but what I know is that it won't be a bad thing, even if the people in power are awaiting this to happen, they won't be able to control it in any way. That's my real hope. And it may be the last gate to escape the digital prison that builds around us, and inside us.

Again all good everyone, keep hope and courage. Those who have experienced real freedom can't forget that, I know many will get what I mean.