black bloc

What happened in Oakland, November 2nd?

Linchpin — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 17:07:28 -0800

By Americans Against the Political System

As a veteran activist from the anti-globalization movement who has jumped on the bandwagon of the OWS and OO movements, I am extremely concerned about some of the events that occurred on Nov 2nd in Oakland California, but maybe not for all the reasons you might expect. Before I go deeper I would like to stop and say that the negative aspects of what happened are a tiny fraction of an otherwise profound and inspiring day. I can tell you that the media flat out and deliberately lied about our numbers. Conservative estimates are at 50,000. Its hard to know for sure because the march stretched for 4 miles with 3 separate marches, the smaller one estimated at 20,000. This looked far bigger than Seattle 1999 which some claim was 60k. This is only the third General Strike since the days of the IWW, which is profound. What we accomplished is HUGE and should be an inspiration to the rest of the movement.

UK Unmasked and the New Kids on the Bloc

AlexB — Mon, 09 May 2011 10:47:36 -0700

Republished from Libcom

Analysis by a member of the Anarchist Federation on the "March for the Alternative" (March 26th 2011) and the political trends expressed within it, especially UK Uncut and the Black Bloc, in relation to the growing anti-cuts movement in the UK.

Local 1005 USW Opposes Police Tactics at the G20 Protests

Mick — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 23:12:26 -0700

I'm happy to personally confirm that Local 1005 members were indeed at the police barricades with thousands of other workers on Saturday. Here's a statement by the local president.

Quote:

INFORMATION UPDATE 2010 #19

June 28, 2010

Oppose the Police Tactics at the G8-G20 Protests
By Rolf Gerstenberger, President, Local 1005 USW

Local 1005 congratulates its members and pensioners who participated in the protests against the agendas of the G8 and G20 in Toronto last week, especially in the Saturday Day of Action. So too we congratulate the members of the Hamilton unions and, most importantly, the youth from our city who together with thousands of others courageously defied the campaign of fear which sought to persuade them not to take a stand against the G8/G20 agendas and in defence of their right to protest and express their views.

The State Is Not a Window (Iconoclast)

AlexB — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:35:16 -0800

By Heatscore
Iconoclast

Both the corporate and alternative media have been abuzz over the actions of the several hundred participants of a black bloc contingent that smashed the windows of a Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) retail store and TD bank, as part of the “Heart Attack” mobilization on February 13th, during the Anti-Olympic Convergence in Vancouver.

Policing Protest

Mick — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 23:06:00 -0800

By Jeff Shantz
State Repression Columnist

Only a few days into the Olympic spectacle and much talk had turned to black blocs and a few broken insured Hudson Bay Company windows. Yet much of the discussion has been framed within a strange liberal duality of choices between militant demonstrations (said to be offensive to working class observers) and supposedly “peaceful” symbolic protests, like the march the night of the opening ceremonies (which is presented as more palatable to working class audiences). As if the actions of the demonstrators are the real question and determine the structure of events. Anyone who has ever been on a picket line might find this a bit strange —working class folks have never been involved in dust ups with the cops?— and it has me reflecting not so much on the specific actions in Vancouver as on the broader context for policing and protests.

Black Blocs, 'Violence' and the Possibilities of Action

Mick — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:01:43 -0800

I don't have time to respond right now to Black Blocs, 'Violence' and the Possibilities of Action by Adam Lewis of the AW@L group, on the recent black bloc tactic in Vancouver as well as the debates on violence vs. non-violence. However, I would encourage people to read it even though I have a lot of disagreements with it as I think it's a thoughtful and well-written contribution to the discussion.

Mass movements and militancy

Mick — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 22:12:56 -0800

By Mick Sweetman

First off, it's been interesting to read the many responses, some in agreement, some in disagreement, and a lot with a mix of both, to my blog post “We need a mass movement not a black bloc”.

I'm glad that my post has resonated with people and contributed to the larger debate on strategy, tactics, and politics in the anarchist movement and on the left generally. That kind of lively public debate is healthy for a movement to honestly evaluate both our successes and our shortcomings as a movement. Public critique in our movements should not be suppressed in a misguided attempt to enforce “solidarity” between activists and sweep our disagreements under the carpet. Sometimes that means we have to talk frankly about the movements we're in and address what we see as mistakes.

We need a mass movement not a black bloc

Mick — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 22:43:34 -0800

By Mick Sweetman

As I sat in an activist meeting at a union's downtown Toronto office on Saturday afternoon, discussing such exciting things as what type of brochure we should produce for the upcoming International Women's Day, a text message flashed onto my cell phone from the Vancouver Media Co-op.

“BREAKING VMC VIDEO: Anarchists Smash Windows @ the Bay”

I sighed, shook my head, and blurted out a single word in frustration, “Idiots.”

Why was I so frustrated by this almost predictable news from across the country? It's because I've seen it before and knew exactly what the backlash against not only the anti-Olympic protests but also against anarchism itself would be.