The Black Bloc Anarchists have to be some of the most block-headed people around. It is simply impossible to differentiate between many of them and the police themselves, as both contrive to push innocent people into being victimized by police violence so as later to say that some demonstration or other was ‘radical’ and ‘violent’.
The Black Bloc dominated demonstration is always one of superficiality and most often times centered on petty vandalism and petty loser bouts against the police. Here on film is how the police and Block Bloc teamed up to murder one man, Ian Tomlinson. Ian Tomlinson death: Guardian video reveals police attack on man who died at G20 protest
Who Controls The Black Bloc Anarchists? The press would have us think that it is merely some bozo or other that does. The Evening Standard newspaper in their report ‘Black Bloc’ anarchists to hijack summit protests using shields and truncheons blamed the G20 London Black Bloc group on some individual lunatic named Alessio Lunghi, but the real control of these ‘ultra radical’ dumb-shits might just probably be with the police themselves?
It is important for us in the US to reject completely this type of confrontational idiocy being pushed by the Black Bloc Anarchists and the police. Those who tell us that it is ultra radical and effective as a protest method are just lunatics. What this mindset actually gets us, is smaller and smaller demonstrations, since normal people begin to fear to show up at events where they most likely will be tear gassed, arrested, or hurt in other ways.
JUST SAY NO to deliberate confrontational tactics with the police! It was the police themselves that hijacked the G20 protests, but the Black Bloc Anarchists gave them a helping hand. There is nothing radical about that at all.
what are you advocating? play at being gandhi? lie down in the road or just stand quietly on a corner waving a sign no one looks at? at least these people are making an effort and fighting back- the pigs don’t need excuses to bust heads- they just do it. You might as well join ppjp and pray for peace by holding a candle
Andy, there are other alternatives than doing the Black Bloc dress up in ski masks to lead people to getting their heads busted open by the police or going out praying with the Religious Pacifists with their candles.
It’s nice to see a good conspiracy theory. THAT’S always good for the reputation of the left. Have you actually spoken with any black-bloccers in the US or elsewhere?
Police have definitely engaged in agent-provocateur type action in some places, as recently confirmed by a freedom of information request regarding the Montebello summit in Quebec. Incidentally, the individual who filed that request (Francis Dupuis-Deri, a university professor and former MIT post-doc in Political Science) also wrote an excellent book on Black BLocs, including info from dozens of interviews, meetings, demo participation etc. Les Black Blocks: la liberte et l’egalite se manifestent is a thoughtful look (unfortunately, not yet translated from the french). You know, for people who like to understand others, and don’t subscribe to conspiracy theories that target potential allies (but hide behind a question mark when doing so)…
Amen, Mike! I’m a big fan of the Black Bloc, actually. They are a refreshing alternative to gumby Code Pink and do-little Justice and Peace groups. They are ANTI-establishment, not make-nice-with-establishment, which is key to making a revolution.
Refresher course
Revolution: an overthrow or repudiation and the thorough replacement of an established government or political system by the people governed.
That’s what it’s going to take to save the planet and her people from destruction at the greedy hands of the United States of America. The Black Bloc is on the right track.
That’s very nice, You Two. The police are big fans of the Black Bloc , too. Here is what Diana Johnstone has to say about the cops and Black Bloc’s most recent doings together at the NATO meeting…
See her entire commentary at Counterpunch: ‘Ingredients for a Disaster- NATO, Strasbourg and the Black Block’
The truth is, that the Black Bloc tactics used are most often the exact tactics that the police need for themselves to attack a peaceful demonstration and then paint it as being a defensive action by themselves against a violent crowd. Now that’s just stupid and vicious on the part of the Black Bloc, who are actually a tiny group of dunces usually heavily infiltrated by undercover cops.
All good points, Tony.
Diana Johnstone reaches the right conclusion with her commentary IMO, Marie. She says…
‘In any case, any future mass demonstration against NATO must be organized with its own protection service, wearing arm-bands and following clear instructions. Demonstrators must be protected. There can be no mixing with the “Black Block” or other groups looking for the same sort of trouble the police are looking for. This was the urgent lesson of the Strasbourg fiasco.’
She is talking about what is needed at any demonstrations, anytime, and anywhere. Real organizers want their Movement to grow and not to just stay and be a nasty ugly confrontation in the streets that scares away greater participation by larger numbers of people.
The Black Bloc lacks this insight, since they simply think that people getting hurt will radicalize them. They are wrong about that though. People coming together and winning is what radicalizes them, not bloody defeat underneath a horse or billy club, or while getting tear gassed or tasered and otherwise injured and jailed.
Now an autopsy has determined that this man died from an abdominal hemorrhage.
‘Now a fresh post-mortem examination has found he died of abdominal bleeding, not a heart attack, as first thought. Lawyers for the family said the new post-mortem test raised the likelihood of a manslaughter charge.’
Yes, cop riots do kill people. For full article see
‘G20 officer quizzed after death’ at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8004222.stm
This should be considered rather intentional murder by cop and not ‘manslaughter’. When police officers are led into battles in blocs like army units, the leaders who order these assaults should be held responsible for those hurt, and not just the individual officers under their command getting slapped wrists perhaps??? Further, they need to expose the police infiltration of the Black Bloc groups and prosecute these cops, too!