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In the Streets

October 29, 2004 - 10:01am -- nolympics
Analysis & Polemic
In the Streets

Territory and Deterritory:
Inside and Outside the ESF 2004,
New Movement Subjectivities

Rodrigo Nunes

1 — From Paris to London

The path that led from the ESF in 2003 to the following edition in London was a lot less straightforward than a mere crossing of the channel; it went through a lot more detours and accidents, and raises important questions as to the present situation of European movements in their processes of deterritorialisaton and reterritorialisation.

The London bid for the ESF was presented in Paris during the second edition as the result of an agreement between the Socialist Worker’s Party (SWP) and the Greater London Authority (GLA). It was discussed and approved at a closed meeting, one of those that still abound in Social Fora everywhere – like those that prepare the agenda of the Social Movements’ Assemblies. The decision to present London as an alternative was never debated among British movements; in fact, the GLA (and the group behind, a small Labour tendency called Socialist Action, basically composed of advisers to the mayor, Ken Livingstone) had never shown any interest in the process at all, whilst the SWP, by means of its myriad front groups (Globalise Resistance, Stop the War Coalition, Project K etc.), although active in the WSF and the ESF, had made systematic efforts to stop the spontaneous process of organization of Local Social Fora, in places such as London, Manchester, Leeds and Cardiff. The GLA’s involvement was a demand made by certain key actors in the European process, such as Attac France, to make sure the event was financially viable. The beginning of the organizing process in December in London came as a surprise to many.

October 22, 2004 - 8:37am -- jim
Events
In the Streets

CRAP vs. the Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army

T Bag

At approximately 4pm this afternoon [Oct. 18, 2004] a (so-called) pro-capitalist group calling itself CRAP (Capitalism Represents Acceptable Policy) broke away from the anticapitalist bloc of the march to go on a little wander through central London………

This small group of (almost) smartly dressed men and women set off through Covent Garden on the 5th Annual March For Capitalism, waving banners declaring “ Tax the Poor” , “Bombs not Bread” , “War is Good for the Economy” , “I Love My SUV”, “Climate Change? Bring It On” and “Money Is My Life”.


They applauded Starbucks and Pizza Hut (much to the confusion of the staff) and encouraged shoppers to keep on consuming, chanting slogans such as “Free Trade not Fair Trade!” “More War!” “More Blood for Oil!” and “More Oil for My SUV!”

Upon reaching Leicester square the “pro capitalists” we greeted by a cheering, slightly bemused, but laughing crowd (who had actually come to see stars arrive for the premiere of Johnny Depp’s new film).


All of a sudden the Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army leapt out from behind the Depp fans and attacked the pro-capitalists using tickling sticks and bad jokes.


A raging battle ensued and eventually the “pro-capitalists” were forced to flee in the face of the Clowns vision of an anti-capitalist utopia where eveybody’s nice to each other, money isn’t everything and everyone wears colanders on their heads.


The Depp fans applauded, the police looked confused and the Clowns chased the pro-capitalists all the way to Trafalgar Square where some people didn’t get the joke.

… Nevermind

October 22, 2004 - 8:16am -- jim
Analysis & Polemic
In the Streets

"Is It Cause I’m Cool?"

Global Project, Invisibili, Ya Basta

A Discussion After London for the Autonomous Movement Networks About the ESF and the N/Europa Challenge

What follows is a rethinking, a balance (also if we are more interested in desires than calculations), an open letter for the European movement networks on the contradictory days of London. It is a partial contribution, a taking up of words searching for discussion. Hopefully a single phrase in a wider compositional discussion, to share with all groups, singularities, and the collective "bodies" with whom we passed through the ESF last weekend.

October 19, 2004 - 3:18pm -- Uncle Fluffy
In the Streets

Robert Augman writes:

"Reflections on the Meaning of the RNC Protests"
Robert Augman

For those of us who participated in the protests against the Republican National Convention (RNC) this summer, reading the newspaper articles, watching the TV reports, or speaking with their audience was a schizophrenic experience. It seemed that what we took part in, and what was conveyed, were two entirely different things.

The mass media attempted to cover the protests. They reported numbers, transmitted images, and included statements from protesters. But the meaning was lost. Protestors were reduced to numbers, activity reduced to images, and dialogue reduced to sound bytes. In their best reporting, the protests were reduced to mere means toward affecting the upcoming elections. Nearly everything below the surface was ignored.

October 19, 2004 - 7:51am -- jim
News
In the Streets

Anarchists Storm European Social Forum

Matthew Tempest, The Guardian

Anarchists stormed the stage at the European Social Forum in London on Saturday night, barring London Mayor Ken Livingstone from speaking.


Up to 200 demonstrators, some of them masked, took control of the Forum claiming that the event, which purports to be a celebration of global justice and peace, has sold out.


Around a dozen activists climbed scaffolding around the stage to unfurl banners with messages such as "Ken's Party, War Party" and "Another world is for sale" a pastiche of the Forum's own "Our world is not for sale" slogan.

October 13, 2004 - 11:05am -- nolympics
In the Streets

Sarah Kanouse writes


Formal Charges: Mass Mobilization and Politics

After driving a full afternoon, night and the following morning from Chicago to the east coast, I surfaced from a subway station and entered “The March.” It was a little past noon on Sunday, August 29, 2004, and the United for Peace and Justice demonstration had transformed Chelsea into Mass Mobilization—a new, different space formed inside but independently of the city that hosted it. It was no doubt awe-inspiring: a sea of people as dense as a sold-out rock concert—stretched on for blocks and blocks and blocks. With a few square miles of Manhattan mostly closed for business, the stores that remained open served happy if overheated throngs of people full of the spirit of the times. I was pleased it would make a good picture.

October 7, 2004 - 2:04pm -- jim
In the Streets

Prosecutors Won't Pursue Cases of 227 in Disputed
Protest

Sabrina Tavernise, The New York Times

The Manhattan district attorney's office said
yesterday that it would not prosecute cases
against 227 protesters who were arrested in one
of the most disputed demonstrations of the
Republican National Convention, saying it would
be difficult to prove that the protesters had
deliberately defied orders.


The decision effectively throws out one of the
largest group arrests to occur on Aug. 31, the
second day of the convention, when nearly 1,200
people were arrested around the city.

October 6, 2004 - 8:43am -- jim
In the Streets

Anonymous Comrade writes:

"A Tale of Two RNC Protests"

Jim Straub, Left Turn

The big story in New York was the numbers. On Sunday August 29th, we emerged as a movement with the support and anger of literally more than half a million people in one city; that's double the number the march organizers had anticipated, and as big a demonstration as New York City has seen in decades. There were also numerous other large rallies, including tens of thousands marching for women's lives, poor peoples' issues and workers' rights. All of these actions, plus literally hundreds of conferences, concerts and cultural events, add up to one of the biggest showings for the US left in recent history.

October 2, 2004 - 11:07am -- nolympics
News
In the Streets

Haiti Information Project writes:

UN/Brazilian Troops Stand-By As Haitian Police Provoke
Violence

Haiti Information Project

Port au Prince, Haiti (HIP) — Last September 11th
more than 10,000 Lavalas militants took to the streets
to demand the return of President Jean-Bertrand
Aristide. The marchers were accompanied by a large
contingent of Haitian police who returned fire when
unidentified gunmen shot at the demonstration as it
passed the Office of National Insurance on Delmas 17.
The crowd immediately took up the chant, “Down with
the army. Long live the police!”

Another march was planned for September 30th marking
the thirteenth anniversary of the military coup that
overthrew Aristide in 1991. Although organizers for
the march received permits from the Haitian National
Police (PNH) it was clear from the beginning something
was amiss. The first noticeable difference was the
absence of police escorts that normally ride shotgun
at the head and tail of these types of sanctioned
demonstrations. These days the police are also aided
by roving UN vehicles that monitor the negotiated
route of the demonstration. They were conspicuously
absent as well.

September 30, 2004 - 11:15am -- jim
Analysis & Polemic
In the Streets

"Massus Interruptus"
Ken Coughlin


They say never trust a man who lacks the capacity to play. The same could
be said of a city. The grim streets of New York are traditionally all
about
business — the business of moving cars, often at a snail's pace, to be
sure,
but business is business, and the city moves on oil and gas, doesn't it?

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