I'm sure we all remember Seattle. Though this is not when anarchists first started using black bloc or other militant tactics, this was the beginning of a large conflict between peaceful organizers, and the militant youth. In Seattle the liberals attacked the black bloc for destroying corporate property, and giving the anti-globalization movement a bad name. After many arguments and insult exchanging (The black bloc was called provocatuers, COINTEL-PRO agents, etc), the liberals gave up on those arguments (Mostly, some still use it today). Now getting more desperate, liberals attack anarchist youth saying that they are sexist males with macho mentalities, or white middle class kids with no message or care for the issues at all. They just want to fuck shit up. They are sexist and racist. Back in the sixties and seventies a similiar smear campaign went on. It was called COINTEL-PRO. Posters and pamphelets were passed out condemning different organizers (like Abbie Hoffman). The COINTEL-PRO spread the the Black Panthers were racist, and a black supremisist group. If allegations are made and not backed up with any fact we can safely call them lies. Militancy is not sexism, it is not masculine, it is not macho. Militancy is the last resort to a fucked up system. The anarchist youth don't fuck shit up and clash with police because they are macho, they do it because they are desperate for change. The least someone can do to repay these corporations for what they are doing to us and the earth is to break a window. As you read this article I have no doubt that a person has just died of starvation, or has been executed by a corporate death squad in a third world country. It's nice to sit and think of murder as abstract, but when you take these people dying as your brothers and sisters ('Cause that's what they are) then it affects you in a far deeper way. These corporations are poisoning our food, killing our sisters and brothers, brainwashing our families, starving three quarters of the world, enslaving everyone, and butchering children. How can people not be angry to the point of rioting in the street. Your earth is dying and you expect people to stand in complacency. Ripping up the streets is not sexist or racist (That's the most absurd allegation I have ever heard). You have to understand what we feel inside to understand why we do the things we do. The false lie that we don't give a fuck about the issues. How can you say that. I have comrades rotting in prison, and one deported that tried passionatley and militantly to stop this tyranny. You think they did that for fun? What happends to the people and the earth tears me apart inside. I can't stand but to put all my chips on the table against this system. If you want to call that sexist and racist, then fuck you. Your organization is obvious (FBI).
-Rampage
I totally agree with you. Our ennemies are so desperate that they use all kinds of cheap tactics to discredit our movement for change. Their ignorance is overwhelming though, how on earth can anarchists be machos, racists and sexists? Total nonsense made again to scare the silent masses away from the peoples revolution !!! But hey it won't work you lousy State "errorists/terrorists" and all your puppet "journacops" from the mainstream medias !!! We are marching on AND THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING. WE THE PEOPLE WILL RECLAIM OUR STREETS,CITIES,COUNTRIES, CONTINENTS AND PLANET !!!!
hey, you're right! it offends one to hear or read an article about how white and male and middle class the black bloc is. there's bigger things in the world to be bothering people in my opinion-this should not be one of them. also, last time i checked i was not of white male privilage and it offends me to be generalized as so.
It's amusing that all constructive criticism is now construed as coming from the FBI. If you don't love everything that everyone calling themselves an anarchist is doing, then you MUST be from the FBI. Even if people in the Black Bloc have hurt you or put you in unnecessary danger for no reason, or said racist and sexist things to your face, and if you're mad about that, then you're from the FBI. Even if you've backed them up when they treated you like crap.
I guess things can never get better, if helpful criticism is all interpreted as FBI provacation. Funny and sad at the same time.
One thing I've thought a lot about lately is that COINTELPRO used tactics similar to what the local Black Bloc has been doing lately. But the local Black Bloc leaders seem to be too random to really have some disruptive goal in mind.
there are no leaders in a black bloc........and the black bloc is not an organization for your information either. it is a completely autonomous, consens runned tactic.