UK Anti-cuts rally

Warfiend · Apr 3, 2011

Some good stuff has come out of this march. None more so than the so-called 'violence' which shows a step in the right direction for the UK anarchist scene. But also the wider discussion regarding 'violent' and 'non-violent' protest. A lot of the 'peaceful' protesters have been slower than before in condeming the violence which is something that is almost signature of the British protest movement. The media has been having a field day with the black bloc and have been scrambling to find out more about them and getting interviews with members, which has put black bloc/anarchist/anti-capitalist ideas out in the wider public eye (with little to no scrutiny).

I'm hoping that this isn't the last we see of the 'violent minority'. In a time of economic crisis more and more people are starting to become angry and resentful towards the government and it's important that they direct their anger in a positive way (i.e. attacking capital). I think we will start to see larger and more active black blocs in future demonstrations in the UK, what with the Royal Wedding and May Day just around the corner, there is no shortage of events for us to 'hijack'!

butcher · Apr 3, 2011

a violent majority would be better

butcher · Apr 5, 2011

oh noes, turns out all the violence was, once again, the work of those evil 40 kiwis:
Black Bloc's violent protests add to security woes

Nobody ↑ :

Just over a week ago one of the largest demonstrations ever staged in Britain, involving 500,000 people, took place in London. The largely peaceful demonstration was being held to protest against planned public service cuts, but much of the subsequent publicity focused on the violent activities of a few hundred Black Bloc anarchists who used it as an excuse to engage in ''class warfare''.

What then is the Black Bloc, what are its members trying to achieve and how can the police and security services prevent the hijacking of peaceful demonstrations by violent Black Bloc participants?

The Black Bloc is actually not an organisation, but a tactic dating from the 1980s, supposedly developed to counter violent police reactions against demonstrators in Germany. Most Black Bloc participants seem to be unemployed or low-paid young men, with a small percentage of ''rich kid'' thrill seekers.

The Black Bloc is not confined to any one country. It tends to be part of all major international political demonstrations. It has also been evident at demonstrations in Australia; most notably the G20 summit in Melbourne in 2006.

One of the Melbourne demonstration organisers, Mick Armstrong, noted, ''I was one of the organisers of the G20 demo from the Stop the War coalition and I am also in Socialist Alternative. The anarchist crazies involved in the ultra violence were in no serious sense part of the demo. Just like their Black Bloc mates in Europe they simply exploited the demo for their own purposes ... What gave them a certain critical mass at the G20 was the presence of considerable numbers of anarchists from overseas. One of our members from New Zealand said he recognised at least 40 NZ anarchists. He knew at least 20 of them by name. There were also a considerable number of Black Bloc anarchists from Europe. We know of people from Sweden, Germany and England. These people are like football hooligans who travel the world looking for violence.''

People wanting to be part of the Black Bloc at a demonstration wear black clothing, scarves, ski masks, or motorcycle helmets to conceal their faces, and may have protective padding and shields. Face coverings are used to prevent identification. They use boots and truncheons as weapons. The colour black is used so that they can more readily congregate and prepare for violence against capitalism as represented by major businesses and the police and media. They may take the lead role in a demonstration in an attempt to provoke a police overreaction against peaceful protesters. Much of what happens once the violence starts is driven by group dynamics and the influence of others. Their unpreparedness to stand up identifiably for what they believe in is seen by some as cowardly.

Unsurprisingly, Black Bloc participants tend to legitimise their actions. One of the demonstrators in London said, ''We aren't trying to be 'hard' or to give ourselves a thrill. We are trying to give uncompromising opposition to capitalism an appropriate image on the streets and not end up in jail. True cowardice would be not fighting an economic system that wants to destroy us.''

He also noted, ''Anyway, you cannot be 'violent' to property. The police chose to attack and arrest people in their defence of property, and got themselves hurt in the attempt. If they had acted rationally, and decided a cracked window was not worth a protester's cracked skull, they would have been fine.''

From a security perspective the Black Bloc poses a challenge because it is not a penetrable group, the participants change from one demonstration to another, and generally the participants do not know the identities of most of the other participants.

Preventive measures being considered in Britain include banning the use of face coverings at demonstrations and imaging individuals dressed in black en route to demonstrations for later identification and possible prosecution. Other options could include police snatch squads to take down Black Bloc activists at the first sign of violence.

Human rights activists will no doubt oppose any banning of masks or use of snatch tactics as undermining democratic freedoms and the right to protest. Ultimately of course it is a matter of what a society is prepared to tolerate by way of violence and property damage as part of the democratic process.

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